Electric-railway system.



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B. W. TUCKER.

ELECTRIC RAILWAY SYSTEM.

(Application filed Jan. 30, 1901.)

(No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet Z,

Y is iz d el@ c' @2 Sify/0- I Q7/ UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

BENJAMIN `W. TUCKER, OF NEWARK, NEW JERSEY.

`ELECTRIC-RAILWAY SYSTEM.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 674,108, dated May 14, 1901.

Application filed January 30, 1901. Serial No. 45,304. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern/.-

Beit known that I, BENJAMIN W. TUCKER, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Newark, in the county of Essex and State of New Jersey, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Electric-Railway Systems, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to certain improvements in safety electric-railway systems; and the objects and nature lof the invention will be apparent to those skilled in the art when considered in the light of the following description of the accompanying drawings, which illustrate an example among many constructions within the spirit and scope of my invention. I

The invention consistsl in certain novel features in construction and in combinations and arrangements of parts, as more fully and particularly described and pointed out hereinafter.

Referring to the accompanying drawings, Figure l is a top plan .view of a railway-track provided with my improved third rail, the power-generator of the system andthe carmotor, magnet, contact, and general car-circuits being shown in diagram. Fig. 2 is a longitudinal section of the electric rail. Fig. 3 is a cross-section on the dotted line 3 3 of Fig. 2; and Figs. 4 to 12, inclusive, are partial longitudinal sectionsof the improved thi-rd rail' and showing several modifications of the'invention.

In the drawings, a a are the track-rails, suitably secured on the cross-ties b b. e

cis the electric rail laid along the track parallelwith and preferably, althoughnot necessarily, between the track-rails. For suburban systems the electric rail is usually spiked down on or otherwise secured to the cross-ties. In the construction of city-ways the electric rail is usually secured in the roadbed on suitable cross supports or ties and v protected by the paving. The electric rail is composed, essentially, of non-conducting and non-magnetizable material, such as Wood. For instance, I show a wooden body or stringer c', having a top longitudinal groove formed therein. A U-shaped trough c2, of suitable insulating material, is placed in said groove. Said trough isJ preferably composed of some suitable refractory ceramic material, such llength to fit loosely or snugly, as desired, in

the groove cut in the wooden body of the rail.

c3 is the exposed sectional conductor seal-l ing-the groove, trouglnor conduit of the electric rail. This conductor is formed in sections, the sections suitably insulated from each other by interposed blocks ofinsulating material. I show the exposed conductor cornposed of bars U-shaped 4inlcross-section or having depending edge flanges,`so that the bar fits the top of the electric railand the iian ges extend down at the sides thereof. The bar thus closes and seals the`l conduit, and its under surface is exposed at lthe open top of the porcelain trough. v f

The rail is usually protected, and the sectional exposed cond'uc'tor vis, held in position by any suitableA means, Asuch as longitudinal eef side strips c4 on opposite sides of the rail and i longitudinal outside angle-irons or otherwise- 1 formed metal plates c5.V v .The parts'4 canbe locked togetherby suitable securing devices,

or the spikes c?, securing the electric railfto.

the cross-ties or track-supports, can be depended on to lock the partstogether. However, I merely show and describethis form of rail for the sakeof illustration, and my invention is not limited to any particular form or constructionof electric rail.

d is the live movable line-Wire, electrically connected with the power-generatorp g of the railway system in any suitable manner. This line-wire is composed ofgood conducting and magnetizable metal, and, so far as I am at present advised, I prefer to use a stiff iron wire for this purpose.- y

As shownby diagram in Fig. l, the motorcar is provided with a suitable magnet c m,

moving over the electric rail and attracting the line-,wireup into engagement with the sections ofthe exposed cond uctor successively, and a car-contact c c moves on said sections and. conducts off the power-current, which is passed to the car-motor c12 m12. However, I`

do not wish to limit my electric rail necessarily to employment in such a system.

In View of the peculiar nature of the stiff iron wire d generally employed longitudinal expansion and contraction might in very long lengths cause lateral displacement, such a's kinking and bending of the wire, and conse- ICO quent dangerof charging exposed conducting portions of the rail. To guard against such possibilities and to avoid mechanical difficulties incident to the displacement of long lengths of the stilf wire in the electric rail and in handling the same, I form the wire in sections with their ends separated. The sections have their ends separated any suitable distance, which, however, I .prefer should be of such length as to avoid contact of said ends under the maximum longitudinal expansion of the sections.

I form depressions or seats in any suitable manner or by any suitable means in the floor of the conduit beneath or at the breaks between the sections of wire. For instance, where the porcelain trough is employed, in the bottom of which said line-wire loosely rests, said depressions can be formed by breaks in the trough, as shown in Figs. 2 and 3. The trough is formed in sections, and at the proper intervals in the rail the ends of two adjoining sections are separated a suitable distance to form the bottom depression cl2. wire sections preferably end at said break, and said wire sections are mechanically and electrically connected by suitable expansible or flexible conductors d3 across the depression d2 and the break in the porcelain trough. Said conductor is shown formed of heavy wire coiled or looped to expand and contract longitudinally and take up the longitudinal expansion of the line-wire. The ends of the expansible connection are suitably secured to the ends of the line-wire sections. The depression receives the expansi ble connection and avoids upward movement thereof or location thereof dangerously close to the exposed conductor-section above, and at the same time the electric conductors are maintained in their proper positions.

The conduit or groove of the electric rail is provided with an enlargement opposite the extensible portion of the conductor or that portion of the conductor within the conduit which is of increased diameter and which may possibly move laterally or vary in diameter as the conductor expands and contracts longitudinally.

A conductor can be formed, if desired, with a spring-coil within its length, which will not only take up the expansion and contraction, but will maintain the proper tension on the conductor and keep it loosely in proper position.

The wire need not necessarily be cut into mechanically separate and distinct sections ending at each extensible portion; but the conductor can be formed with expansible portions, dividing` the wire into sections by coiling or looping the wire within its length-that is, by forming the Wire with expansible portions integral therewith. The extensible portions or connections in the conductor can be arranged at suitable intervals or at suitable distances apart along the electric track, ac-

The linecording to conditions and the requirements of tlieparticular system.

In Figs. 4C to 12, inclusive, I illustrate several modified forms of the invention, and they will be understood in view of the foregoing description without detailed explanation. The flexible or yielding cond uctor-section d3 in- Fig. 4. is a U-shaped piece of spring metal having its horizontal members in position intermediate the adjacent ends of the line-wire sections and secured thereto. In Fig. 5 the expausible or liexible conductor-section d3 is simply a iiattened portion of the line-wire bent into U shape. The section cl3 in Fig. 6 corresponds with the construction shown in Fig. 5, except that the wire, heilig lighter, is not fiattened. In Fig. 7 the section cl3 is simply a wire coil below the lighter conductor m, and in Fig. 8 the line-wire is looped, as shown, to form the section d5, and the lower end of this section is fastened down by a yielding spring fr. In Fig. 9 the section cl3 is formed by giving the stiff iron line feed-wire a circular coil below the movable lighter conductor m. Fig. 10 illustrates the two wires, each having a section cl3, while in Fig. 11 it is shown that only one of said wires has a section cl3. The two wires in Fig. 12 each has a section d3, one being in the form of a coil and the other approximating the shape of the letter U In instances in which the one Wire (l is made use of said wire will be magnetizable material, such as iron; but when the lighter vertically-movable conductor m is also employed the feed-Wire d will preferably be of copper and the wire m of inagnetizable material.

The rail structure shown in this application is made the subject of a separate application for Letters Patent filed by me on February 9, 1901, and bearing Serial No. 46,608.

It is evident that various changes might be made in the forms, constructions, and arrangements ofthe parts described without dcparting from the spirit and scope of my invention. Hence4 I do not Wish to limit myself to the specific devices shown or set forth.

What I claim as my invention, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

l. In an electric rail the movable stiiline- Wire formed in divisions or sections, and an extensible connection between the sections, the rail-cond uit having an enlargement opposite said connection, substantially as described.

2. The electric rail having its internal conduit having a bottom depression, and a conductor in the conduit including a portion at said depression tc take up longitudinal contraction and expansion, substantially as described.

3. In an electric rail having an internal conduit, a continuous conductor therein provided at intervals along its length with the expansible portions forming parts of said continuous conductor and adapted in themselves to take up longitudinalexpansion and IOO IIO

-forth.

6. In an electric rail the continuous feedwire having at suitable intervals along its length the expansible portions forming parts of said continuous conductor and adapted to take up longitudinal expansion and contraction in the same, combined with the lighter conductor on said feed-Wire and also having at intervals along its length the expansible portions forming parts thereof to take up longitudinal expansion and contraction therein; substantially as and for the purposes set forth.

7. In anV electric vrail the continuous feedwire having at suitable intervals along its length the expansible portions forming parts of said continuous conductor andadapted to take up longitudinal expansion and contraction in the same, combined with the lighter conductor on said'feed-wire; substantially as and for the purposes set forth.

Signed at New York, in the county of New York'and State of New York, this 26th day of January, A. D. 1901.-

BENJAMIN W. TUCKER.

, Witnesses:

CHAS. C. GILL, GUNDER GUNDERsoN. 

